Pycnogonids - Sea Slug predators

January 9, 2001
From: Cary Rogers

Hi Bill
I thought you could add these to the predator list. The pycnogonid (sea spider) Anoplodactylus evansi which ate sea hares, sacoglossans and nudibranchs in aquaria, and labrid fishes or wrasses which ate adult Aplysia parvula and juvenile Aplysia dactylomela in subtidal field experiments near Sydney, Australia.
Cary Rogers

cary@uow.edu.au

Rogers, C., 2001 (Jan 9) Pycnogonids - Sea Slug predators. [Message in] Sea Slug Forum. Australian Museum, Sydney. Available from http://www.seaslugforum.net/find/3407

Thanks Cary,
I've added them to the list and prepared a page on Anoplodactylus evansi as promised.

These observations are the result of studies Cary has been conducting over recent years on various aspects of the biology of Sea Hares around Sydney, especially defence and chemical ecology. This particular aspect of his work has been recently published in an interesting paper I have cited below.

•Rogers, C.N., de Nys, R. & Steinberg, P.D. (2000) Predation on juvenile Aplysia parvula and other small Anaspidean, Ascoglossan and Nudibranch Gastropods by Pycnogonids. The Veliger, 43(4): 330-337.

Bill Rudman.

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